1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manipulator which is used, for example, for use in laparoscopic surgeries.
2. Related Art
In laparoscopic surgeries such as gallbladder extirpation surgery, an operator makes a number of small holes in the patient's abdomen, attaches trocars to the holes, inserts an endoscope, a forceps, and the like into the abdomen via the trocars, and then treats the patient while viewing images from the endoscope via a monitor.
These surgeries involve no celiotomy and thus impose reduced burdens on patients. These surgeries also allow the patient to recover quickly after the operation, thus significantly reducing a period after the patient is hospitalized and before he or she leaves the hospital. The application of the laparoscopic surgery is expected to be extended.
As a manipulator for use in laparoscopic surgeries, the manipulator for applying robotics has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-350735). The manipulator has a manipulating portion and an operating portion which are connected together via a cylindrical connecting portion. The operating portion operates at a predetermined degree of freedom in response to manipulations of the manipulating portion. The operating portion has, for example, a pair of plate members that sandwich an affected part. The pair of plate members is opened and closed in accordance with signals from the manipulating portion.
In terms of the degree of freedom of the operating portion, for example, a structure having the degree of freedom suitable for sutures and ligations has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-102248). This manipulator can change position of the forceps along directions of a pitch axis, a roll axis, and a yaw axis.
A manipulator having a pitch axis joint and a yaw axis joint has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-61969). This manipulator has a gripper that treats an affected part. The gripper can rotate around pitch axis joint and yaw axis joint.
The manipulator used to treat a narrow part such as laparoscopic surgeries is required to have a wide range of operation, good operability, a reduced number of parts, high strength, high credibility and high safety.
In terms of these characteristics, the conventional manipulators have wirings complicatedly disposed to improve the degree of freedom of the forceps. Therefore, there was a problem in which the structure is complicated.